A golfer sometimes takes out from his golf bag more than one club when he is uncertain as to which club is the most suitable for his next shot and then forgets to retrieve unused club(s) after the shot. The player often does not notice the missing club(s) until a few holes later or even after the game. If a search for the misplaced club is delayed, the club may be retrieved later or his concentration in playing the game may be affected.
In order to reduce a risk of losing a golf club, prior attempts such Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Hei 2-61371 and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Hei 2-61372 disclose warning devices. Hei 2-61371 discloses that a number of magnets are buried under and around a putting green or around a tee-ground. A magnet sensor is mounted on a golf cart to detect a signal indicating a club that is left behind as the golf cart passes over the buried the magnets. The magnet: sensor in turn sends a signal to a controller also mounted on the golf cart so as to activate an audio alarm or a tape unit for playing a warning message such as "attention, do not forget your club."
In a similar attempt, Hei 2-61372 discloses a golf cart that is equipped with a special putter holder that holds only putters. At the beginning of a round, a wight sensor placed at the bottom of the putter holder weighs putters, and the total weight is stored in a controller for a later comparison. Each time the golf cart stops and then moves during the course of a round, the weight sensor weighs the putters, and the controller compares the currently measured weight to the stored weight in the controller. If the controller determines that any putter is missing, it sends out a warning signal such as a voice message or an alarm sound.
The above described prior attempts disclose warning devices that are mounted on a golf cart. This type of arrangement is not particularly practical since golf carts are not usually transportable between courses, and on some courses, golf carts are not allowed. In fact, Hei 2-61371 further requires that magnets have be buries in the ground. The above described warning device, thus, should not require any modification to the course and should be easily portable. Furthermore, the warning device should be easily mountable on a commercially available standard golf bag without sacrificing a substantial storing capacity of the golf bag.
It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for a golf bag for monitoring the number of clubs in a golf bag while playing a round of golf in order to substantially reduce a risk of losing any club.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus to detect a missing club and provide a warning at the earliest time after the club is left behind. One example of activating a check is when a putter is taken out and returned to a golf bag. Since a putter is almost certainly used on every hole, the use of the putter may trigger a check confirming the number of clubs before a player reaches the next tee ground. This timing minimizes an amount of time necessary for searching the misplaced club(s).